The Quiet Hours
by Menolly5600
Summary: In the quiet hours of the first night after being rescued, before the rest day prior to the final battle, Aqua and Ven struggle to deal with their issues sleeping. One hasn't slept in about 12 years, and one hasn't been awake - and neither one wants to sleep. - KH3 spoilers. Canon pairings, but not really any pairings shown. Aqua and Ven needed more interaction with Sora.


In the quiet hours of the first night after Aqua and Ventus were rescued, before a day of rest in preparation to the final battle. KH3 spoilers. Canon compliant pairings. Feels.

**The Quiet Hours**

He jerked and gave a brief shake of his head before settling back against the back of the sofa once again. He felt Aqua shift next to him, her hand tightening around his own. He glanced up at her, and she smiled tiredly down at him. Ven squeezed her hand in return and settled against her shoulder.

Despite having slept for nearly twelve years, Ven was tired, exhausted even. The fight with Vanitas, the trip back in Sora's Gummy Ship, the talk with Yen Sid, meeting everyone… it had worn him out. He had to wonder if sleep had settled in his bones, or something. He was certain he'd been able to do far more than this before feeling this exhausted – emotionally and physically. He hoped it was just an after-effect of having been immobile and in a form of stasis for so long.

And yet, Ven could not sleep. It was foolish of him, he was sure. But every time he started to drift into a doze, he shook himself awake again. Irrational fear and anxiety churned within him, but he could not stop himself. The fear hadn't even hit him until he started to get sleepy, but now it gnawed at him. What if he couldn't wake up again? He had already lost so much time to sleeping. Not that he blamed Sora; he could never blame Sora.

And there was another source of his anxiety. Sora. He had spent so long within Sora's heart, surrounded by his Light and warmth, protected and safe, that he could keenly feel that absence now. Ventus was on his own now, and that scared him. It was foolish, he knew. Hearts were supposed to be one per person. Sora was a miracle of rule breaking. And yet… Ven could not stop himself from feeling alone and lacking. His connection to Sora wasn't _gone_, but it felt so distant now. Instead of the embracing sanctuary it had been, their connection felt something like a D-Link now, if one stronger than any other he had forged in his hectic chase after Terra so long ago. Part of him wanted that warmth back. He had briefly considered trying to pull on that connection, but it wasn't a normal, properly formed D-Link, and he didn't want to mess around with it when he wasn't sure how it would affect Sora.

Aqua shifted against his side, and he opened his eyes as he felt her hand carding through his hair. "You should go get some sleep, Ven," she smiled down at him, "Its late."

He exhaled and clenched the hand not holding Aqua's, as he gave her hand a gentler squeeze. "Not without you too."

"Mm," she glanced away, eyes shadowed in the dim lighting of the Mysterious Tower's common room. "I'll be fine."

Ven squeezed her hand again. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes, in the tilt of her mouth and the lines of her shoulders. They'd been like this all night. Neither one could sleep, even though they knew how important it was to rest and recover for the coming battle.

After meeting with Yen Sid and everyone, the ancient Master had granted them all use of his tower. Everyone had elected to spend the night before most went their separate ways to prepare the next day. The Tower was much larger on the inside than the outside, magic, of course. And the rooms seemed to change depending on what was needed or wanted by guests and its Master. So there had been a comfortably large common room, a dining area, a kitchen, and a hallway of doors leading to bedrooms and baths.

It was cozy and welcoming, and the Tower's magic took care of all the details of cooking and cleaning. Though, Sora had whined about being chased out of the kitchen by an animated ladle. Donald had teased him about trying to sneak a taste, but Ven had the vague feeling that Sora had wanted to help cook. His dreams about Sora's adventures weren't always clear, or even made sense because of how disjointed the sequences often were. But he had the vague recollection of Sora in a huge kitchen with… a rat?

After dinner, Aqua and Ven had excused themselves to sit outside and watch the stars for a time, just soaking in each other's presence away from the crowd. How strange it was, that now just seven other people could feel like a crowd, after so long alone or asleep. But they had needed that time on their own, just to talk and to reaffirm each other's presence – real and right beside them.

When they had returned inside, it was late, Lea and Mickey had already retired for the night. Donald and Goofy were not far behind, with Donald scolding Sora that he ought to go to bed soon too. Sora had already looked tired, sprawled in a tangle of limbs across one of the sofas with Riku and Kairi. He'd yawned hugely, waving them off and reassuring them he'd go soon too. The yawn pulled other yawns from Riku and Kairi as well. But when he noticed that Aqua and Ven had entered, Sora had perked up and prodded his two friends before untangling himself and somehow managing to roll forward off the sofa and onto his feet. The other two started to untangle themselves as well, stretching before standing. Once up, Sora stretched massively before grinning brightly and asking if they needed anything before they headed off to bed.

Ven had felt so warm, and a touch guilty, that they'd been staying up waiting for them – probably at Sora's behest too. Aqua had reassured the three that they were fine, Ven adding in that they'd already picked out rooms. Sora had beamed and wished them goodnight. Riku and Kairi chimed in as well, with Riku letting them know that if it got cold, they just had to ask the tower for more blankets. Then Riku had tugged Sora along by the back of his hood as the three headed down the hall to bed.

It had only been then, in the silence, when exhaustion crept up on him, that Ven realized he had been pushing off the need to sleep because he was afraid. And glancing at Aqua, he knew he wasn't alone. Without the need for vocal agreement, both he and Aqua had found themselves sitting on a sofa, hands linked, shoulders touching, sitting in the quiet, neither one willing or able to separate and go to sleep.

She was being a fool, she knew, but she couldn't stop herself. They both needed to sleep and recover for tomorrow and the battle the day after. As a Master, she should be more responsible than this. She hadn't slept in so long, she knew she needed it. And Ven, she could tell how exhausted he was. It was worrisome. Had sleeping for so long, disconnected from his heart, left some lingering damage? She didn't know, and it terrified her. Less than a day awake, and she could tell his stamina wasn't what it had been. He tired too quickly. He needed rest. He would need every bit of strength he could muster for the coming battle. They didn't have enough Lights without him there too. As much as she wanted to bundle him up and protect him from facing Xehanort and Vanitas again, she knew he had to be there.

He'd never agree to stay behind, anyway.

And if she tried… would he hate her for it?

_No. No, of course not._

She squeezed Ven's hand, feeling him squeeze back, without even needing to open their eyes, chasing away the ghosts of doubt and shadows. She let herself soak in the warmth of his heart right beside her, pulsing in time with hers.

_This is real._

She tilted her head to rest against Ven's, the tousled upward sweep of his hair tickling against her forehead. He shifted to lean into her in return.

_We're together now. We're going to get Terra back soon. We're stronger together._

She hadn't been strong enough on her own.

_I'm not alone anymore._

Warmth surged within her heart at the thought. For a moment, she felt another hand gripping hers, pulling her up and out of the dark. She squeezed Ven's hand tighter.

A newly familiar voice echoed in her memory, "_You're home."_

She wasn't in the Dark anymore. This Tower was full of Light and safety. Strangely familiar, not quite strangers turned friends, welcoming her with open arms despite how weak she had been, how far she had let herself fall. The Darkness couldn't reach her here.

She had let herself fall once; she wouldn't again. She was stronger than that.

And yet… She was afraid. Afraid to sleep.

What if… this was all just a dream? Another illusion to give her hope before snatching it away again. It had been her first fear upon waking in the Realm of Light, and in the silence it nipped at her heels with doubt.

What if she woke up and was in the Dark again? Alone again. Abandoned.

She gripped Ven's hand, thumb rubbing over his knuckles. He squeezed back, firm and anchoring, his touch warm.

_No. This is too real. Illusions never lasted so long before being torn away._

_I'm here. I'm home._

She was stronger than this.

But she still could not sleep. She was afraid of drifting away again, sinking, with nothing to anchor her or pull her back up.

But Ven, at least, needed to rest. She couldn't selfishly keep him here and awake. She had to be strong for all three of them. She had to be strong to be able to rescue Terra too. She couldn't afford to keep clinging.

"Ven, you _need_ to sleep. You're exhausted."

"M' not," came a tired mumble beside her. She could hear cloth rustling, but she didn't look up at him. "You need to sleep too."

"I'll be fine on my own. Go on to bed, Ven," she sighed, warring with herself as she slowly loosened her hold on his hand in preparation to pull away.

Ven tightened his hold on her hand, refusing to let her pull away. He wasn't leaving her. He didn't want to be alone. And he wasn't going to leave her alone either. He'd only heard vague bits about her time in the Dark Realm, but he knew he couldn't leave her alone after all she'd been through while he slept safe in Sora's heart. "You first, Aqua. I'm not leaving you alone."

"Both of you need sleep," a tired, third voice mumbled from the side.

Startled, Ven's and Aqua's eyes shot open as they looked to the voice. Sora stood there, looking half asleep and bed-tousled. He was barefoot and wearing loose, soft-looking, short-sleeve pajamas. He covered a yawn, closing one eye as the other looked them over. He had a blanket with him, one end draped over his shoulder, the other dragging on the floor behind him. His spikey brown hair was even wilder than usual, spikes going everywhere. Standing there in pajamas with crowns and stars all over them, he looked younger and more like a kid than either of them had seen since they'd officially re-met him the other day.

Finishing his yawn, Sora huffed and tilted his head, eyeing them both on the couch for a moment.

"Ah, sorry. Did we wake you?" Aqua wasn't sure how they might've, but it was the first thing that came to her tired mind.

Ven's stomach plummeted, he was sure he hadn't pulled on their connection, right?

Sora reached up and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more. "Mff," he hummed noncommittally. He still looked half-asleep, standing there. He stifled another yawn, eyed them again, then seemed to come to a decision. "Right." He nodded to himself, then gave a gentle kick to the side of the sofa, "Come on, bed."

Unlike Aqua and Ven, Sora didn't seem at all surprised when the sofa shuddered under them and the backrest abruptly fell back and expanded. The base also swept up their legs, spreading out, cushions reshaping themselves under them. With a yelp and a squeak Aqua and Ven fell backwards and suddenly found themselves sprawled out on a spacious mattress, complete with pillows at the head.

"Wha-?" Ven struggled to try to sit up, exhaustion dragging at his limbs. But before he could get upright, a warm, solid weight sprawled across him with a grunt. He exhaled sharply in surprise, flattened back down onto the soft mattress. Lifting his head, he looked down, blinking in surprise to find Sora sprawled on the bed with them.

Sora was draped mostly across Ven, legs sprawled together and his body angled across Ven's so his head rested in the space above his and Aqua's shoulders. One arm stretched across Ven's chest to loosely loop over his shoulder. The other arm draped loose across Aqua's stomach. The blanket he'd been carrying had been haphazardly dragged up with him onto the bed and the three of them.

Aqua let out a startled breath, "Sora, what-?"

She wasn't sure what to do, too startled to react for a moment when the slender teen flopped into the sudden bed with them. His head nestled into the crook of her and Ven's shoulders, his narrow shoulder tucked in against her side. One arm loosely draped across her belly in a careless gesture of trust and affection. Teenage boy or not, there was nothing ulterior, flirtatious or sly about his touch. She could feel the warm Light of his heart and intentions without even trying.

Just like before, just like every time he was nearby, his Light drew her to him like a flower turning toward the sun, his heart open and embracing everyone around him. His warmth was reassuring, and safe.

"_You're home,"_ his voice whispered in her memory. She shuddered out a breath.

Sora shifted, a warm solid weight linking and anchoring the two of them in place. Head tilting, he opened one brilliant blue eye to look at Ven. Ven could only blink stupidly back at him, still a little shocked. Sora huffed, and Ven could feel his warm breath on his shoulder and his chest moving as he spoke. His eye crinkled like he was smiling.

"Not sure why, but you seemed lonely, and scared. It's hard to sleep when you're worried," his head shifted like he was nodding, surprisingly soft brown spikes tickling Ven's shoulder and cheek.

Unspoken was that they were worried, and he was worried about them. Sora was already a warm presence beside him, but the warmth and affection in his heart swelled for this too-kind teen that had opened his heart to Ventus more than once.

"How…?" Ven trailed off, not sure he wanted to know if his fears had been keeping Sora awake as well.

Sora shrugged one shoulder. "Well, that's what my heart felt, anyway." His eye crinkled in a smile again, "And Riku kicked me out the third time I woke them up."

Ven couldn't help the sudden snort of laughter, and Sora's eye squinted up in an even bigger grin. Sora yawned again, shifting his head to stifle it against the pillow. He then tilted his head to look at Aqua with his other eye, also crinkled in a smile.

"Its okay to sleep now," his arms shifted, lightly squeezing both of them in a loose hug. "You're not alone anymore," Sora's eyes closed as he relaxed with a sigh. "We're all here to help. My dream eaters will take care of any nightmares," he murmured absently, "n' I'll be right here in the morning."

Aqua inhaled shakily and closed her eyes, not willing to show anymore weakness to this impossible boy that had risked his life to save her, a complete stranger at the time. How did he know just what to say, even on the edge of sleep? (Because he _was_ asleep now, from the way his chest rose and fell beside her.)

Even with Ven right by her side, she'd still been afraid of being lost in the dark again. She'd failed Ven before, failed herself before. She hadn't been strong enough.

But _he_ had.

Sora had dove into the dark after her and pulled her back to the light. Sora had somehow found Ven's lost heart in the dark and kept him safe for all these years, only to awaken him when he was needed.

She didn't want to have to rely on him so heavily. He was so young, and she was already named a Master. She should be able to handle herself.

Yet she had needed him to rescue her. For so long, his name, and nothing more, had been a bright spark of hope in her heart ever since speaking with the other lost soul she'd met. Until she'd given in to the despair of abandonment. But he'd reached out and saved her, even when she'd given up on _him_.

At least she wasn't alone in needing his help. Master Mickey and Master Riku had also needed him when fighting her Dark self. And they never seemed to have any problem with leaning on Sora's strength when needed, even if Sora wasn't a Master himself yet. She could only guess that he must not have taken the test yet, too young perhaps – he was probably only around Ven's age, but she was sure he'd be a shoe-in once he did. The strength of his heart was obvious.

And here he was again, reaching out to her. All she had to do, was accept.

Slowly, she slid her hand into his, her fingers curling around his. Even asleep, his fingers closed slightly around hers. She sighed, relaxing slowly. Her head sank into the pillow, tilting to rest her temple against soft chestnut spikes.

She barely knew him. But she couldn't help trusting him completely. She wouldn't fall. He would be there, in the morning.

Ven let out a shaky breath, then shifted to wrap his other arm around Sora's back. His other hand squeezed Aqua's, fingers still laced together. Aqua squeezed back.

Dipping his head, he pressed his face into the crook of Sora's shoulder and neck. He could feel Sora's heart, pulsing in time with his own, so warm and welcoming. It wasn't like before, when he'd slept within. They were still separated by the distance of their link. But in a way it was better. Because now Sora was a warm, solid weight in his arms, a real presence that he could get to know through more than just dreams.

And he really wanted to get to know this brother of his heart.

Notes: So its been a while. KH3 is the first thing in a while to really get my writing muse kicking. So, I'm going to have fun with it.

This is the first thing I've ever written for Kingdom Hearts. I feel rusty. But I hope I did a good job.

I feel like Aqua and Ven, and yeah also the rest of the residents of the Wayward Hearts Motel (Sora), needed more screentime connecting with each other and especially Sora. We'll see what else I come up with. But this is just a one-shot.

Read, Review, and let me know what you think. Thanks!


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